Latest News

July 29, 2020 19:00

This is the fourth in a series of “Reduction in Force” communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See “Reduction in Force Part 1,” “Reduction in Force Part 2,” and “Reduction in Force Part 3” for the previous editions.

In This Edition

Avoiding Involuntary Furlough: Extend the CARES Act Payroll
How Many Furlough Mitigation Applicants are Needed to Avoid Involuntary Furlough?
Can I Avoid Involuntary Furlough by Applying for an Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough?
Order of Recall

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

The single most impactful thing that you can do to completely avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs) in October would be for you, your family members and your friends to contact Congress and demand our legislators extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.

We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:

Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.
Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

House: 888-907-9365 |Senate: 888-848-4824

Sample Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative] /[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

How Many Furlough Mitigation Applicants are Needed to Avoid Involuntary Furlough?

The MEC is currently estimating approximately 1900 to 2200 Flight Attendants are in the potential involuntary furlough range without any furlough mitigations. As of this writing, over 2300 Flight Attendants have bid for some form of furlough mitigation (e.g. Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough). How many are needed to avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs)?

That is very difficult to project with any degree of certainty. Keep in mind that management believes the Company is under no obligation to award all furlough mitigations to the bottom of the list. The Master Executive Council (MEC) is confident management will award all EOs, but we’re less confident about all ELOAs and EVFs.

Management is concerned about awarding all furlough mitigation bids because of the potential to significantly imbalance the domiciles depending on the number and duration of the respective furlough mitigations (e.g. ELOA-12, EVF-6, EVF-9, EVF-12 and EVF-15). If management were to cut off furlough mitigation awards prior to reaching the bottom of the bids, that could lead to IVFs. Relatively junior Flight Attendants who have applied for furlough mitigations would be converted to IVF if they are in the seniority range impacted by involuntary furlough. Therefore, one cannot assume that every application for furlough mitigation will actually reduce the number of involuntary furloughs in a one to one (1:1) ratio.

Can I Avoid Involuntary Furlough by Applying for an Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough?

No. There has been a lot confusion regarding ELOAs/EVFs and IVFs. Bidding for an EVF does not prevent you from being involuntarily furloughed. – Section 18.A.3

If a Flight Attendant bids for an ELOA and/or an EVF and if her/his Occupational Seniority number is in the IVF seniority range, then the Flight Attendant will be converted to IVF. If management is forced to involuntarily furlough Flight Attendants, then the most junior Flight Attendant on the Occupational Seniority list will be listed as IVF; the process continues up the seniority list until a sufficient number of IVFs have been designated to meet staffing needs. In no circumstances will the most senior Flight Attendant on IVF have anyone junior to her or him designated as an active Flight Attendant or on ELOA or on EVF.

Order of Recall

Recall will be in the following order: (1) Involuntary Furloughs, (2) Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs and (3) Extended Leaves of Absence.

IVFs

IVFs will be recalled first and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order; IVFs may bypass recall until no Flight Attendant is left junior to her/him amongst the IVFs.

EVFs

EVFs will be recalled second and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order irrespective of EVF duration; EVFs may bypass recall until no FA is left junior to her/him amongst the EVFs. EVFs are automatically recalled at the conclusion of their respective EVF duration (6, 9, 12 or 15 months).

ELOAs

ELOAs will be recalled third and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order. ELOAs may bypass recall until the end of their ELOA duration (12 months).

Coming Soon

Base Swaps and Permanent Transfers
Dues Obligation

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here.

July 28, 2020 05:00

On July 16, management implemented an expansion of onboard service which included the addition of multiple beverage selections and the re-introduction of hot beverages as an option for passengers. During the lead up to the service expansion, members of our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) engaged management in multiple discussions with the intent of protecting Flight Attendant safety and health during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the objections raised by AFA and the nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks, management made the decision to proceed with the rollout of the additional service citing the need to address complaints received through the Alaska Listens platform and improve scores on customer satisfaction surveys. The MEC, Inflight Service Committee, and ASHSC believe that the decision to proceed with an expanded onboard service in the wake of the increase in COVID-19 cases was irresponsible on management’s part.

COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey Launches Today

The MEC fully intends to continue to engage with management on the subject of onboard service, especially surrounding management’s plan for a further expansion next month. In an effort to gather as much direct Flight Attendant feedback as possible to share during those conversations, we have launched the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey. The survey is an opportunity to share your thoughts, feedback, and experiences related to the July 16 expanded onboard service.

Click here to take the survey

You’ll be able to take the survey any time between now and Sunday, August 2 at 5 PM PDT. Please share this link with your flying partners and encourage everyone who has worked since the July 16 onboard service expansion to take part! Even if you have not worked since July 16, you’ll still be able to share any comments you have about the service expansion.

REMINDER: Report Any Safety Hazards

In addition to completing the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey, please also remember to report any safety hazards that you experience while performing the expanded onboard service. This could include instances of increased exposure to passengers (e.g. passenger removing their mask to speak to you, etc.) or other hazards related to service. You can report these hazards through ReportIt! by submitting either a FAIR and/or ASAP for each flight on which they occur. Include the terms “COVID-19″ and “service” in your narrative to ensure they are correctly categorized by management. This data will help our AFA representatives to advocate for safe levels of service.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey, please contact your LEC Officers.

July 24, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Onboard Service Expansion
Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present
REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey
Grievance Committee Update

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

Keep up the pressure on our lawmakers to do the right thing and extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program. The House of Representatives is scheduled to break for recess on July 31st and the Senate on August 7th. Make your calls today and every day!

House – (888) 907-9365
Senate – (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

Onboard Service Expansion

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Last week, management implemented an expansion of onboard service by increasing beverage choices for passengers and re-introducing hot beverages as an available menu option. This expansion of onboard service took place despite vocal objections by our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC). Among these objections are management’s failure to adequately address the increased risk of exposure that our Flight Attendants are facing due to the additional time being spent interacting with passengers to offer the prescribed service. In light of the recent nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases and many jurisdictions postponing or rolling back plans to reopen businesses, the expansion of onboard service seems counterintuitive and does not indicate that management is serious about “owning safety”.

The MEC is currently developing a survey to gather more information about the specifics of how the expanded onboard service has impacted our Flight Attendants. More information will be available in soon in another AFA update.

Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

Human Rights Committee

Yale University is currently offering a free course on African American history taught by Jonathan Holloway. Professor Holloway was Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies at Yale University and Dean of Yale College.

This course represents a unique opportunity to assist in fulfilling our union’s promise to redouble our efforts to seek out, listen to, and amplify the voices of black and brown Flight Attendants within our Union and to address the systemic racism in our Union, our industry and our nation.

Additional information about the course can be found in the excerpt below from the Yale University website. You can access the course directly by clicking here.

About the Course

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

Warning: Some of the lectures in this course contain graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.

REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey

AFA International

As a reminder, AFA International is currently running a Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey to collect Flight Attendants’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to our work with our airlines, the federal government, and Congress to get your feedback.

Is there available PPE at work? Have you tested positive for COVID-19? How many trips have you worked since March? What’s your experience with aircraft cleaning? Are you on leave?

Click here to take the survey

All individual responses will be de-identified, kept confidential and only utilized publicly in the aggregate.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf. The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues. AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases. AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors.

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination. COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in a Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed. If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation. Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline. If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline. There is no middle ground for certain violations.

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

Theft. Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination. (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).
Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things. Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted. If management determines abuse it results in termination.
Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay. Management has terminated for this violation.
Drug/Alcohol violations
Harassment
Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
Commuter Violations
- Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home
- Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
- Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
- Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel
Lost IMD or other required items
Failing to complete CBT—even if FA just forgets to hit the close button within Cornerstone to switch the CBT from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Arbitration	April 21	Disciplinary Grievance
Arbitration	May 27	Contractual Grievance
Arbitration	June 15	Contractual Grievance
Arbitration	June 25	Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Arbitration Awards

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split. This grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve: Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b.

Arbitrator’s Decision: The grievance is denied. Alaska Airlines did not violate Sections 11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 and/or any and all related sections of the collective-bargaining agreement or past practice when its Jeppesen Crew Access trading system denied transactions where Reserve Flight Attendants sought to give away less than an entire block more than once per month. Alaska Airlines properly classified these transactions as a reserve block split pursuant to Section 11.H.3.b.

Recent Grievance Settlements

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-30-19-Violation of §28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy. This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §28.G.2 [Domiciles: Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.

Details: See the July 13, 2020 AFA Update for more information.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-159-19-Violation of §11.F, §11.F.13 and §11.D.2.c Airport Standby Reserve and On Duty at 4:29 am. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.F [Reserve: Airport Standby], §11.F.13 [Reserve: APSB on Duty at 4:29 am] and §11.D.2.c [Reserve: Notice of Time to Report], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to or inconsistently compensated Flight Attendants when they were: 1) Sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am; 2) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am; and 3) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment after 4:29 am.

Details:

Reserve Flight Attendants sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am local domicile time who do not receive a flight assignment during APSB:
1. Will be compensated pursuant to §11.D.2.c at one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives less than nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment; or
1. Will be compensated straight time (1.0x) towards the reserve guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives at least nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment.
Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.
Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment after 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling: Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NAVBLUE, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface. However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.

Details: The Company and AFA will The parties will actively work on installing an administrative lock-out function (or other mutually agreed upon solution) in the NAVBLUE bidding system (or any successor system). The lock-out function will allow the ‘back end’ of the bidding system to be opened for bid protests, technical issues, or other adjustments while locking out Flight Attendants from altering their bids on the ‘front end’. It is unknown whether NAVBLUE can accommodate a lock-out function exactly as described in this paragraph. If it is not possible, the parties will work together and mutually agree on the alternate solution and how it would work. If an alternate solution is not mutually agreed upon, AFA reserves the right to refile this grievance.

Compensatory Settlement: The Company will pay compensation to all Flight Attendants whose adjusted April 2018 bid resulted in a loss of four (4) or more TFP and at least one day of flying from their original April 2018 bid. Approximately 150 Flight Attendants are in this pool, plus two additional Flight Attendants who do not meet the requirements but whose situations present unique circumstances that warrant settlement. The total TFP amount to be paid out is 1130.6 TFP. A list of said Flight Attendants will be provided to the Company by the Association pursuant to this Settlement Agreement. The Company will pay the TFP to all the above-named Flight Attendants no later than on their June 20, 2021, paycheck. For any affected Flight Attendant who is inactive (due to separation or furlough) as of June 20, 2021, the Company will mail a check (less applicable withholdings) to the Flight Attendant’s last known address. The pay will be at the respective rates in effect on the day the Flight Attendant is paid. Payment will be paid above the reserve guarantee if applicable.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

None

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-200-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about April 3, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a meeting to discuss passengers who were scheduled to travel on Alaska flights after disembarking from a cruise ship which had suffered an outbreak of COVID-19. The company instead opted to brief AFA about the issue after the meeting and decision was made about how to proceed.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-201-20-Violation of §10.Q & §11.E.4.d Violation of Reserve Assignment List Order. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.Q [Scheduling: Low-Bid Option] and §11.E.4.d [Reserve: Order of Assignment, Assignment of Open Sequences/Assignments], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system places low-bid option and no-bid lineholder Flight Attendants who pick up reserve days and opt out of the Reserve Assignment List (LTFA) at the top of the list rather than listing them in inverse seniority order following all other Reserves within the same classification (AM/PM/ER) and with the same number of days of availability.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-207-20-Violation of §10, §11.D & §24.L Bundled Scheduling Notifications. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10 [Scheduling], §11.D [Reserve: Scheduling/Notice of Time to Report] and §24.L [General and Miscellaneous: Company-Provided Inflight Mobile Device (IMD)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system sent bundled scheduling notifications to Flight Attendants on their Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) or directly in Crew Access, requiring Flight Attendants to batch acknowledge or ignore such notifications and thereby resulting in Flight Attendants potentially waiving multiple contractual protections via an extra-contractual point of contact (i.e. Crew Access scheduling notifications).

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

July 23, 2020 17:00

This is the third in a series of “Reduction in Force” communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See “Reduction in Force Part 1” and “Reduction in Force Part 2” for the previous editions.

In This Edition

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Staffing Projections From the All-Employee Webcast Explained

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:

Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.
Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

House: 888-907-9365 | Senate: 888-848-4824

Staffing Projections From the All-Employee Webcast Explained

WARN Act Notices

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act helps ensure advance notice in cases of qualified mass layoffs. Management is required by law to provide “WARN notices” to employees who may be laid off (i.e. involuntarily furloughed). In all the states in which there are Flight Attendant domiciles (AK, WA, OR and CA), those notices must be sent no less than 60 days prior to the date of the involuntary furlough, or no later than August 1^st for involuntary furloughs effective on October 1^st.

WARN notices provided to the union on behalf of affected employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement satisfies the WARN Act requirements except for in California, which also requires notices to be sent directly to the employee. As of today, AFA has not been provided with WARN notices, but we will advise membership as soon as the notice has been served.

Management’s Projections and “Excess Employees” Explained

On today’s all-employee webcast, management shared there would be 2500 “excess employees” in Inflight in October and that there are 1200 “volunteers to date” in Inflight. The Master Executive Council (MEC) understands that 2500 is the number of Flight Attendants who will receive WARN notices. That number of 2500 is inclusive of a buffer above the actual number of potential involuntary furloughs (IVFs) in order to assure the Company is in compliance with the WARN Act; it is not the actual number.

AFA’s Interpretation of Management’s Projections

The MEC is currently estimating approximately 1900 to 2200 Flight Attendants are in the potential involuntary furlough range without any furlough mitigations. At the time of the webcast, 1200 Flight Attendants had bid for some form of furlough mitigation (e.g. Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough); that number has climbed to approximately 1300 since then. It would seem logical to estimate that we are somewhere between 600 and 900 Flight Attendants short of avoiding IVFs as of this writing, but that is not entirely accurate.

Keep in mind that many relatively junior Flight Attendants have applied for various furlough mitigations. They would be converted to IVF if they are in the seniority range impacted by involuntary furlough. Therefore, one cannot assume that every application for furlough mitigation will actually reduce the number of involuntary furloughs in a one to one (1:1) ratio.

Coming Soon

Order of Recall for IVF, EVF and ELOA
Dues Obligation During a Reduction in Force

July 20, 2020 17:00

This is the second in a series of “Reduction in Force” communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See “Reduction in Force Part 1” for the previous edition.

In This Edition

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Status of Primary Travelers and Registered Domestic Partners
Order of Awards for EOs, ELOAs and EVFs
Seniority Accrual, Pay Rates and Retention of Longevity

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:

Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.

House: 888-907-9365
Senate: 888-848-4824

Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

Status of Primary Travelers and Registered Domestic Partners

On ELOA, EVF and IVF

AFA has confirmed with Employee Travel that Primary Travelers and Registered Domestic Partners retain online pass benefits (Alaska Airlines [AS], Horizon Air [QX] and SkyWest operated as Alaska Airlines [OO]) while on an Extended Leave of Absence, Enhanced Voluntary Furlough or during the contractual eligibility period (of varying durations pursuant to §18.M [Online Pass Privileges During Involuntary Furlough]) if involuntarily furloughed.

On Retiree Travel

For Flight Attendants considering the Early Out packages, Registered Domestic Partners but not Primary Travelers retain online pass benefits under the Early Out packages (and Retiree Travel if eligible).

Order of Awards for EOs, ELOAs and EVFs

Early Outs (EOs), Extended Leaves of Absence (ELOAs) and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs (EVFs) will be awarded in the following order:

EOs (EOP-1 and EOP-2) in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order
ELOAs (ELOA-12) and EVFs (EVF-6, EVF-9, EVF-12, EVF-15) in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order

Seniority Accrual, Pay Rates and Retention of Longevity

Seniority accrual

Pursuant to the Reduction in Force 2020 Sideletter of Agreement (7/8/2020), Occupational Seniority (e.g. for schedule and vacation bidding, Longevity Paid Time Off eligibility) and Company Seniority (e.g. for vacation accrual and non-revenue travel boarding priority) will continue to accrue while on an Extended Leave of Absence, a Voluntary Furlough or if involuntarily furloughed.

Pay rates

Flight Attendants will continue to move through the step rates of pay if eligible while on ELOA, EVF or IVF.

Longevity

Longevity, which is “vesting service” for 401(k) vesting and retirement eligibility, is frozen (retained but not accrued) while on ELOA, EVF or IVF.

Coming Soon

Dues Obligation
Order of Recall for IVF, EVF and ELOA

We hope to see you at the remaining “Early Out & Leave Options” informational session tomorrow (7/21)!

July 17, 2020 17:00

This is the first in a series of reduction in force communications.

In This Edition

How to Mitigate or Avoid Involuntary Furlough
- Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
- Contact Congress Every Day in July
- Updated Projections
- Bidding to Avoid Involuntary Furlough

How to Mitigate or Avoid Involuntary Furlough

Master Executive Council

One of the most frequently asked questions by Flight Attendants right now is what we can do to mitigate or avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs).

Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

There is an active effort by AFA-CWA and other unions to champion an extension of the CARES Act, which would bring additional payroll support to aviation workers and a continued moratorium on involuntary furloughs through March 31, 2021. This is an active conversation within Congress right now with very tangible momentum, but the window in which to achieve an extension during this legislative session is relatively short.

Contact Congress every day in July

The single most impactful thing that you can do to completely avoid involuntary furloughs in October would be for you, your family members and your friends to contact Congress and demand our legislators extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.

We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:

Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.
Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

House: 888-907-9365 | Senate: 888-848-4824

Updated Projections

During the first FA Early Out & Leave Options informational session on Tuesday, management estimated they are looking for between 1300 Flight Attendant (~22% of 5975) and up to 2200 Flight Attendants (~36% of 5975) to elect some form of furlough mitigation effective in October. Therefore, IVFs will be avoided altogether if somewhere between 1300 and 2200 Flight Attendants take Early Outs, Extended Leaves of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs–or if Congress passes an extension to the CARES Act.

Bidding to Avoid Involuntary Furlough

Some Flight Attendants seem to believe that bidding for an Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough or being on any type of leave of absence will make them ineligible for involuntary furlough. This is not true. If an insufficient number of Flight Attendants bid for EOs, ELOAs and EVFs, then the Flight Attendants with the least Occupational Seniority (i.e. most junior) will be furloughed in order to achieve the required reduction in force. There is no IVF “super seniority” gained by bidding for or being on any type of LOA because such leaves are ‘converted’ to IVF if applicable.

Example: The Company needs a reduction in force of 2200 FAs. 2190 FAs bid for EO, ELOA or EVF, so the Company needs to reduce staffing by at least 10 more FAs. The 10 most junior FAs on system seniority list will be involuntarily furloughed. If any of those 10 junior FAs also bid for an ELOA or EVF, then their awards are denied; the next most junior FA(s) will also be involuntarily furloughed until there is a reduction in force of 2200 FAs via ELOA, EVF and IVF.

Coming Soon

Order of Awards for EOs, ELOA, EVFs
Seniority Accrual and Retention of Longevity
Dues Obligation
Order of Recall for IVF, EVF and ELOA

We hope to see you at the remaining “Early Out & Leave Options” informational session on 7/21!

July 13, 2020 05:00

In This Edition

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Vanguard Retirement Webinars
Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants
Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events
Temporary Requalification (RQ) Training Timeline Modification

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

We need to generate phone calls to Congress every day. Flight Attendants and family members should be making two calls to the Senate line and one call to the House line.

We are calling for a six month aviation Payroll Support Program extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs. This is the most successful jobs program of the CARES Act and it needs to be extended since COVID-19 cases are again on the rise.

All of aviation labor is standing together to call on Congress to pass a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program before the summer Congressional recess. Waiting until September for this action is too late because October planning will be done and hundreds of thousands of workers will already be told they are out of work. Already, Delta Air Lines pilots and United Airlines workers have received WARN notices.

We need urgent action on this now:

1. Call your Representative and Senators: Flight Attendants and family should make three calls every day. Two to the Senate line and one to the House line.

House: (888) 907-9365
Senate: (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

2. Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >

3. Tell 5 flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

A CARES Act extension must pass Congress before they recess later this summer. Take action now and plan to keep taking action every day throughout July.

WATCH: AFA Government Affairs Activists Urge Flight Attendants to Make Calls

Vanguard Retirement Webinars

Retirement Committee

Switching from earning a paycheck to living off your retirement savings and Social Security is a big change. If you’re within a few years of retiring, learn how you can turn your savings into a steady paycheck. This webinar will help you answer:

How much will my retirement cost?
Where will I find the money to pay for retirement?
How do I make my savings last as long as my retirement?
How do I invest my money during retirement?

Dates, Times, and Registration Information

Two sessions will be available:

Friday, July 17 – 10 AM PDT
Wednesday, July 29 – 1 PM PDT

Advanced registration is required and can be completed using the link below:

Click here to register for one of the sessions

Questions?

If you have any questions about the upcoming webinars, please contact MEC Retirement Committee Chairperson Terry Taylor at terry.taylor@afaalaska.org.

Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Build your resiliency by joining these telephonic support groups just for Flight Attendants. Groups are sponsored by your AFA EAP/FADAP and facilitated by a confidential mental health professional. All Flight Attendants are welcome.

Learn some techniques on stress management, decision making under pressure, emotional balance and connect with flying partners during this period of uncertainty in the Aviation Industry. Join any or all sessions. No pre-registration required.

Calls start on Monday, July 13 and are scheduled Mondays (July 13, 20, 27, August 3) and Fridays (July 17, 23, 31, August 7). Each call begins at 12 PM PDT and will last one hour.

Call-In Number

(855) 544-2320 or (401) 648-9218

If outside the U.S., follow the directions here.

Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events

Grievance Committee

The MEC recently mediated Grievance 36-99-2-30-19, Violation of Section 28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy. This grievance arose out of the February 2019 snow events. The grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 28.G.2 [Domiciles: Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.

Originally, we sought to arbitrate this grievance, however it seemed better with this particular case to mediate the issue with an unbiased mediator. Arbitration results in a decision made by the arbitrator usually with one side winning and the other side losing; whereas mediation allows both parties to have a say in the outcome. An arbitration award cannot change or add contract language, it may only interpret what was already present, however in mediation the parties may come to agreements about adding or changing language.

The issue was resolved very favorably with the addition of language for ground commuting during significant weather delays. This adds protections for Flight Attendants attempting to get to work whether the weather event is anticipated or not. The new language adds a detailed process for management to follow, thereby removing any subjectivity, which typically was only a detriment to our Flight Attendants.

A complete copy of the sideletter of agreement that includes the newly agreed upon language related to ground commuting during significant weather events has been uploaded to the AFA Alaska website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the grievance or sideletter of agreement, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

Temporary Requalification Training (RQ) Timeline Modification

Grievance Committee

For Flight Attendants returning from a leave of absence or who have been unable to complete Recurrent Training (RT) by the end of their eligibility period, completing Requalification Training (RQ) is a requirement before being able to return to work. Section 30.B.3 of the joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) requires management to offer a full RQ class within the first five working days of every month, but this requirement has recently caused significant stress for many of our Flight Attendants. Due to a recent changes in how management interprets the eligibility period of Flight Attendants who are required to take Requalification Training (RQ), the home study CBT that must be completed prior to attending class is no longer made available until the first day of the month when scheduled to attend class. With this change, Flight Attendants who might be scheduled to take RQ on the 2^nd of the month would not even have access to the CBT until the 1^st of the month.

Due to this very compressed timeline that Flight Attendants are now being given to complete the CBT prior to RQ, the MEC approached management to work to extend the period of time that would be available to complete the CBT prior to class. We were able to reach a temporary agreement with management to extend the contractual requirement for the Company to offer a full RQ class from within the first five working days of the month to having the class offered no sooner than the seventh working day of the month. The temporary agreement also provides pay protection for any affected Flight Attendants between the fifth working day of the month (the contractual requirement to offer class) and the day prior to when the Company actually offers the class. Even with this temporary extension to the Company’s requirement to offer a full dedicated RQ class, Flight Attendants who are due to take RQ may continue to exercise their contractual right to trade into the RQ slot in any regularly scheduled RT class during the month if space is available.

This temporary agreement will take effect with the August 2020 bid month and will remain in effect through at least the December 2020 bid month. A complete copy of the letter of agreement is available on the AFA Alaska website and can be viewed by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

July 10, 2020 20:00

Furlough mitigation resources

AFA has compiled the following furlough mitigation resources for easy reference.

Company resources (AAG SSO required)

All furlough mitigation options
- Alaska Flight Attendant early-out & leave options
- Compare all Flight Attendant furlough mitigation options (grid)
Early Out (EO)
- FA Early Out Program Guide (aka FA Early Out Plan Document)
- Early Out Q&A
Extended Leaves of Absence (ELOAs) and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs (EVFs)
- ELOAs and EVFs Q&A (aka Leaves Q&A)

AFA resources

Combined resources – “Early Out and Leave Options” informational sessions

Management is hosting and AFA will also be co-participating in upcoming “Early Out and Leave Options” informational sessions in which all furlough mitigations will be addressed: Early Outs, Extended Leaves of Absence and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs.

Available Sessions – An individual calendar invite has been sent by management for each event. Please join us if you have questions!

Tue 7/14 @ 12pm – 1pm PT

Thu 7/16 @ 4pm – 5pm PT

Tue 7/21 @ 2pm – 3pm PT

“The Numbers”

Everyone wants to know the target numbers for the Early Out program, Extended Leaves of Absence and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs. The MEC shared that feedback with management prior to publication of yesterday’s email announcing the EOs and other furlough mitigation options. According to the Company’s Early out Q&A (AAG SSO required), management estimates needing approximately 600 Flight Attendants to take the Early Out.

In our June 5^th “A Message About Current Events, and Planning for the Future” communication, the MEC projected that Alaska Airlines will possibly need 35%-50% less Flight Attendants systemwide—at least temporarily—beginning on October 1. We now project the impact to be fairly significantly less, but the MEC cannot say more due to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). However, the MEC will continue to press management to be more forthcoming with projections as soon as possible.

Company Early Out

Management has now released the details of the Company Early Out program (AAG SSO required). As mentioned in the June 30^th edition of the AFA Update, AFA did not negotiate this Early Out package. AFA approached management back in March regarding our interest in negotiating an Early Out, but management declined our offer.

AFA’s assessment is that the Company’s EO package will not attain even close to the desired number of takers. Candidly, the Master Executive Council (MEC) is disappointed in the Company’s EO; we had hoped the Company’s EO would be more in line with industry leading Flight Attendant EOs like at Southwest Airlines. However, the EO will interest some Flight Attendants who were already considering retirement or who are interested in early retirement.

Involuntary Furlough (IVF) Mitigations

No lower line averages

Pursuant to §18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigation], AFA and management have been working on furlough mitigations over the past two weeks. After careful consideration and in consultation with industry experts, AFA has declined to lower the line averages or adjust the line value range. AFA already lowered the minimum domicile average line value from 78 TFP to 75 TFP in the 2014-2019 CBA, which allows individual lines to be built up to 10 TFP lower at 65 TFP. Our analysis is that the scale of anticipated reduced staffing is so great and the duration of lower lines so uncertain that these mitigations would be unacceptable to the majority and seen as a concession.

October 2020 Furlough Mitigations Letter of Agreement

Click here for the October 2020 Furlough Mitigations Letter of Agreement >

Furlough mitigation enhancements and clarifications that are in addition to Extended Leaves of Absence and Voluntary Furlough provision in Section 18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigations]:

Extended Leaves of Absence of 12-month duration (ELOA-12) -> No change to contract
- COBRA-eligible for healthcare
- Regular 480 unpaid credit of 1.333 TFP per day
- Base guarantee
- See contract for additional details
“Enhanced” Voluntary Furloughs of 6-, 9-, 12- and 15-month durations (EVF-6, EVF-9, EVF-12 and EVF-15)
- Company-paid healthcare premiums
- Double 480 credit
- Base guarantee on EVF-6 & EVF-9 (contractual voluntary furloughs have no base guarantee)
- No base guarantee on EVF-12 or EVF-15 unless recalled June 2021 or earlier
Productivity Premium Program eligibility on ELOA & EVFs (and on IVF via separate email acknowledgement from management)
Recall procedures
- Order of recall clarified: IVF followed by EVF (followed by ELOAs requested but not required)
- “Live” recall or bypass form
- Full-time student bypass for the remainder of the term while on ELOA, EVF or IVF (proof of enrollment in accredited college or university required)
Staffing Adjustment Leaves (SALs) -> Enhancement to §15.B [Staffing Adjustment…]
- Offered one month at a time (in order to avoid the perception of seniority violations) but may be awarded consecutively
- Double 480 credit
- Company-paid healthcare premiums
FAs on involuntary furlough may choose to remain current by attending regulatory training (RT/RQ)
- Company-paid healthcare premiums during the month of training
- Out of domicile provisions if FA is required to take training out of domicile (e.g. SANFAs)
- Positive space Company Business travel provided to and from domicile if required
Unemployment insurance (UI)
- Company will not contest UI
- Company will provide support letter to the FA
“Reconvene clause” in case legislation (e.g. potential extension to the CARES Act) is subsequently passed that prevents IVFs

Reduction in Force 2020 Sideletter of Agreement

Click here for the Reduction in Force 2020 Sideletter of Agreement >

AFA and management recognized that references to “seniority” in §18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigations] and §18.K [Involuntary Furlough Seniority Retention] required clarification to reflect intent and established practice:

Occupational Seniority always accrues: FAs always receive scheduled pay increases and are not negatively impacted in bidding seniority or relative seniority while on any type of leave or furlough.
Company Seniority always accrues: FAs always receive scheduled vacation accrual increases and are not negatively impacted for non-rev seniority while on any type of leave or furlough.
Longevity: 401(k) vesting and retirement eligibility are ‘frozen’ (i.e. retained but not accrued) while on certain types of leave or while on furlough.

The parties clarified the procedures for returning from an Extended Leave of Absence under §18.A:

Domicile protection while on ELOA and recall in Occupational Seniority order

The parties will allow Flight Attendants to conduct Union Business (UB) or Company Business (CB) while on a voluntary furlough under §27.AA [Union Business and/or Company Business…]:

Flight Attendants who routinely conduct UB and/or CB work may be potentially willing to take voluntary furloughs, and this provision would allow them to do so while continuing to provide necessary services to the Company and/or to the Association.
Examples: Inflight Training Instructors, Special Project work Flight Attendants and union reps

Tell Congress: Extend the CARES Act

If not enough Flight Attendants voluntarily take the Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough, then at least some of our sisters and brothers will be involuntarily furloughed starting in October. Consequently, it is vitally important that each and every one of you help AFA-CWA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 achieve a six-month extension to the CARES Act in order to protect Flight Attendant jobs. Tell Congress to keep our industry intact by extending the CARES Act!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Steve Maller, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

July 2, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program
Substance Use During COVID-19 Pandemic
Vanguard Retirement Webinar—Coming Soon
Union Plus Program Hardship Benefits
Updated Board of Directors Information
The Dues Pie Chart – Where Do My Dues Go?

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program

AFA International

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 are calling for a six-month aviation Payroll Support Program (PSP) extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs, extend the restrictions on stock buybacks, dividends, and executive compensation, and maintain service to all of our communities. Tell Congress to keep our industry intact to ensure aviation can help fight the virus and contribute to economic recovery as opposed to adding to an economic depression.

Amplify Your Voice With a Call

In addition to sending a letter, you can amplify your voice by following up with a phone call to your Members of Congress. Call your Representative and Senators and say:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

AFA COVID Relief House – (888) 907-9365
AFA COVID Relief Senate – (888) 848-4824

Substance Use During COVID-19 Pandemic

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Historically, crisis events tend to trigger increased drug and alcohol abuse. Post 9/11, for example, the National Institutes of Health raised concerns about increased substance use by those impacted by the tragedy. Meanwhile, after Hurricane Katrina, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that hospitalization for alcohol use disorders rose by 35 percent in New Orleans. Experts fear that we will see similar trends this time, but on a national scale. People frequently self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety. Uncertainty about the future, loneliness, lack of routine, economic dislocation, job loss and fear of death by disease, can all be triggers for those who are vulnerable to substance abuse, including those in recovery – even after long periods of abstinence. Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders in effect for COVID-19, limit access to support systems such as friends, neighbors, therapists, church, family and recovery groups. Early indications aren’t good. Researchers are seeing spikes in alcohol sales, marijuana use, and anti-anxiety and pain medication prescriptions.

If you are concerned about substance abuse for yourself, a family member or flying partner, now is the perfect time to consider treatment, especially if you are on a voluntary leave. Your AFA EAP Committee can discuss and coordinate all treatment options while maintaining your right to privacy. If you are getting ready to return from a leave and would like to discuss preventing safety risk associated with drug and alcohol testing violations, contact your AFA EAP Committee for a confidential conversation. Contact information for your Local EAP Committee can be found at afaalaska.org/eap.

Vanguard Retirement Webinar—Coming Soon

Retirement Committee

As the company will be offering early out packages, your AFA Retirement Committee, in conjunction with Vanguard, the company’s 401(k) plan administrator, will be conducting an online webinar to provide information and answer questions about the planning process for retirement. Meeting date, time, registration information, and information about how to submit questions in advance will be posted to the Retirement Committee page of the AFA Alaska website and communicated in an AFA update email once finalized.

Retirement Plan Resources

In addition to the upcoming retirement webinar, a list of retirement plan resources and links to these online tools can be found on the retirement resources page of Alaska’s World (AAG sign-on required).

Union Plus Program Hardship Benefits

AFA International

Many of the Union Plus programs, which are an AFA Member benefit, provide hardship benefits.

Members who currently have a Union Plus Mortgage, Credit Card, Personal Loan, or Supplemental Insurance programs may be eligible for additional hardship assistance through the Mortgage Assistance Program and Union Plus Hardship Help. The Union Plus Mortgage Assistance Program provides interest-free loans and a $1000 grant to help eligible members make mortgage payments when disabled, unemployed, furloughed, locked out or on strike.

Union Plus Credit Card holders are eligible for a $300 job loss grant if they have been laid-off or furloughed for 45 days or more due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria and application process can be found at www.unionplus.org/hardship-help/union-plus-hardship-help-benefits.

The MetLife Legal program is making available additional resources including free consultation and document review and access to a self-help library so members can get questions answered and also review and complete Wills, Powers of Attorney, Healthcare Directives and similar documents for free through July 31, 2020. Additional info, including the instructions to reach the self-help document library, is available here: https://www.unionplus.org/blog/consumer-tips/free-legal-document-review-and-consultations-through-july-31-2020.

The Free College program is making available additional financial aid to students who may need additional assistance for education-related expenses due to COVID-19. Info on Free College is here: https://www.unionplusfreecollege.org.

Updated AFA Board of Directors Information

AFA International

The Board of Directors were scheduled to meet in-person during May 2020, but due to the pandemic conditions, that meeting was cancelled. The BOD met virtually via a Zoom Meeting on May 20, 2020. The purpose of this meeting was to address the 2020-2021 Proposed Annual Budget.

Visit the AFA International Board of Directors resource page for updated meeting documentation that includes the single Agenda Item (Annual AFA Budget), the four Resolutions that were considered and other useful material.

The Dues Pie Chart – Where Do My Dues Go?

AFA International

The Dues Pie Chart depicts where all funds at AFA are budgeted. About 80% of dues dollars are directly allocated to fund the work at each airline (i.e. Local Councils, Master Executive Councils, Negotiations, and System Board). The remaining budgets at the International Office support Government Affairs, Air Safety, EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airline. 100% of our dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendant representation.

There are four distinct areas where dues money is spent:

Local and Airline-Specific

Each base has a Local Executive Council (LEC) with elected Officers who provide direct representation and deal with local grievances and other issues. These Local Officers will answer your phone calls and make sure member interests are represented in front of management. For example, in the event of discipline or a contract violation, Local Officers will address the issue where it happened and work to get swift resolution. Additionally, elected Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers provide representation at the corporate level. At both the LEC and MEC, there are committees that solve problems in areas such as safety, schedules, hotels, grievances, etc. These committees also enforce the contract specific to their area of expertise, produce newsletters, and participate in union meetings. The role of your LEC and MEC Officers and committee representatives at each airline is to ensure you are represented by Flight Attendants who know your job because they share it with you at your airline. AFA promotes this autonomy at each airline where your representatives, assisted by experts, negotiate with management and develop and maintain the relationship between airline management and the Union.

Negotiations

Bargaining for pay and working conditions is one of the core representation activities performed by the Union. We start with a membership survey, schedule meetings with management, conduct caucuses with the committee, develop contractual language, support membership engagement and information programs, and we work with AFA-CWA professional negotiators throughout the process including all direct negotiations/mediation with management. The end result is improved contractual language with higher pay, better working conditions, and improved benefits.

System Board (Grievances)

The first step in any grievance is to try to resolve the matter locally. Some airlines have negotiated an alternative dispute process for a faster, collaborative resolution. If that fails, then the final stage for resolution, whether disciplinary or contractual, is an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. An AFA-CWA attorney will work with our Grievance Committee to present our case to the neutral arbitrator. We defend the contracts we negotiate.

International Office Support

While your LEC is the face of the Union to local management and the MEC to corporate management, the International Office is the public persona and brand of the Union. Our presence and name recognition can legislate or improve federal regulations, remove obstacles from the bargaining table, better our position in negotiations and improve our experience on the job across the profession. The International Office maintains the professional staff of attorneys, negotiators, and other personnel that provide administration, accounting and membership services to members and elected leaders. We all work together to support the programs that encompasses our profession.

Questions?

If you have questions about AFA dues, please contact your LEC President.

June 30, 2020 15:00

In This Edition

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program
Pandemic Response
Fraudulent Face Mask Exemption Card
Management Provides Contractual Furlough Notice
Company “Early Out”
CARES Act Additional $600 Ends Soon

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program

AFA International

Amplify Your Voice With a Call

In addition to sending a letter, you can amplify your voice by following up with a phone call to your Members of Congress. Call your Representative and Senators and say:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

AFA COVID Relief House – (888) 907-9365
AFA COVID Relief Senate – (888) 848-4824

You may also receive a phone call over the next several days from AFA Government Affairs Committee Members or other AFA volunteers to ask for your support in making these calls.

Pandemic Response

Master Executive Council (MEC)

AFA remains dedicated to our mission to protect the safety and health of our members, and we continue to do so on multiple fronts during this pandemic. Representatives from the Master Executive Council (MEC); the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee; and the Inflight Service Committee meet multiple times per week with management to advocate on your behalf. AFA recently met with an infectious disease expert from the University of Washington on more than one occasion to discuss our questions and concerns.

We echo your concerns about diminishing social distancing onboard, mask compliance, personal protective equipment (PPE) and increasing service levels. Be assured we will continue to work with management to maximize the safety of our Flight Attendants. See the Company’s Listening & Acting: Actions we are taking in partnership with AFA resource page (AAG sign-on required) for the latest updates.

Fraudulent Face Mask Exemption Card

Master Executive Council (MEC)

AFA Interactive (June 26, 2020) reported that a Facebook group dubbed the Freedom to Breathe Agency, or FTBA, is promoting fake face mask exemption cards featuring an eagle image reminiscent of the Department of Justice (DOJ) seal. Images of the laminated cards have been circulating on social media and were recently deemed fraudulent by the DOJ. Read more >

The MEC has requested that management take the following actions:

Alert Flight Attendants and CSAs that the card is fake and what to do about it and similar exemption cards if presented.
Communicate what documentation is required by passengers to substantiate medical or religious exemptions for wearing a face mask while travelling.

Management Provides Contractual Furlough Notice

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Pursuant to Section 18.G of the JCBA, management provided notice to the MEC President last Thursday (June 25) that the Company intends to use a Reduction of Force of Flight Attendants effective October 1, 2020. The contract requires that the parties meet for a period not to exceed fourteen (14) days from the date of notice “to consider… programs to help mitigate a reduction in force.” We are meeting every day this week to negotiate on the terms of additional and/or enhanced furlough mitigations.

Company “Early Out”

Retirement Committee

Management recently indicated that “Early Out” program details and application processes will be communicated over the next few weeks “depending on union agreements and company timelines.” Management has stated, “[W]e are still finalizing details with union and operational leaders,” and that “options may be different depending on union representation, current CBA language and operational needs.” However, AFA did not negotiate this Early Out package.

AFA approached management back in March regarding our interest in negotiating an Early Out, but management declined our offer. Although management has provided AFA with the opportunity for limited feedback, the Company developed its own version of an Early Out for all represented work groups rather than engaging each union—including AFA—in direct negotiations. The MEC would like to level-set the expectations of our members by being clear this is a management-developed Early Out package. More information to come once management has publicly released the details.

CARES Act Additional $600 Ends Soon

The additional $600 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits provided by the federal government is officially set to end July 31, but all states except New York will pay it only through the week ending Saturday, July 25. Read more >